UFCThe Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization, recognized as the largest MMA promotion in the world. The UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC. This promotion is responsible for solidifying the sport's postion in the history-books.
UFC is currently undergoing a remarkable surge in popularity, along with greater mainstream media coverage. UFC programming can now be seen on FOX, FX, and FUEL TV in the United States, as well as in 35 other countries worldwide.

As with 90% of posts on MMAF, this is my opinion only. I have reviewed the evidence and contemplated what it means, and i think i have the answer to the question of why fedor picked Strikeforce, a smaller, much less well known organization(at the time) with (arguably) a worse roster of heavyweight fighters, over the almighty UFC; the king organization of MMA already and still with the intention to spread out globally and grow tenfold. I know this has been hashed over before, but i just wanted to see if i could start a thread that had some serious intelligent discussions, and maybe see if we could find some mutual agreements on the topic.

*note mods, i contemplated putting this in the SF forum, however upon review, the topic of why fedor didn't join the UFC is much more relevant to the UFC forum than it is to the SF forum. Not to mention that fedor is a constant topic of discussion for UFC fans, fighters and affiliates anyway.

So - in my opinion, fedor didn't go to the ufc because honestly, the guy sems to be a pretty simple, humble guy. he lives in his same old home town, and has his same old friends. he goes to church, he doesn't talk smack and he doesn't promote himself. (although m-1 does, that's a different kettle of fish so i wont go there.)

joining strikeforce was frankly the simpler option. strikeforce will let fedor be fedor - they will let him continue to be simple, and not tie him up with contracts, paperwork and restrictions (i mean sponsor restrictions, media statement restrictions etc, i am aware that his sambo wasn't an issue this time with the ufc)

They will let him be humble; he wont be pressured to start talking about his skills before fights or going out and doing tonnes of media stuff (he bans all media from him before fights and i imagine his demeanor would naturally be averted to massive publicity) or talking things up to hype fights. (and i doubt he'll be pressured to learn english either)

Basically, he is more free in strikeforce. And in my opinion, UFC versus SF can be (extremely) simplified into Fame versus Freedom.

In addition, fedor has stated on camera before that MMA is just his job; he treats it like a job and does his best, but it is just a job. This is relevant because it seems to me like if you were passionate about MMA, a total student of the sport, and were one of those who lived, breathed and talked MMA, then you would join the UFC. They are the undisputed kings of MMA, and you have opportunities to establish yourself in the sports history, as well as to aquire new fans, friends and fame.

If, however, you had fedor's view, then the relative freedom that strikeforce offers would be much, much more attractive. If MMA is just a means of income, and your desire to train, fight and win comes from a desire to do your job well and earn your family enough money to always be comfortable, then the glory, glitz and glamour of the UFC wouldn't hold the same appeal as it would for those aforementioned people who's world revolves around the sport. I think this is also why some people can't understand why fedor didn't join the UFC and establish his position and legacy in the MMA world.

Some people say that fedor doesn't need to prove himself; his legacy from pride and, to a lesser extent, his more recent fights, is already established. Some people say that he is ducking the top tier fighters in order to maintain his record. i think that neither of these points are relevant.

Fedor has said before that whether he wins or loses is gods decision, not his. (i personally am an athiest but can still recognize and respect his religious logic.) When have you heard fedor talk about his record? or about any of his past wins? when have you ever even heard him try and justify his skills? I haven't heard him ever mention any of these. (although i may have missed an instance, if so please correct me)

The point i am trying to make here is that in my opinion, fedor's priorities in life are the reason that he picked SF over the UFC; not the quality of the competition in either organization.

That being said, i may be wrong. Fedor could in fact speak perfect english, and every time he goes home to russia and the camera is off he may be rowdy, obnoxious, and talk more shit than tito. It may all be a brilliant act.

But i dont think so; i think that this post is probably quite close to the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, as i neglected to mention fedor's management, but the truth nonetheless.

That being said, it's just my opinion. But it's a well thought out opinion, and what i'd like to call an educated one, so i'd like to see if anybody agrees, or can see my point. In the same way, i'd like to hear a good rebuttal. I have my own opinion on what the perfect response to this post is, but i won't post it just yet. Hopefully i can get some good discussion going first, and maybe someone else will be able to say it before i do.

__________________
If you're a good MMAF contributor & want to be a part of the most exclusive MMA sharing site online, with high quality, full events of all UFC, dream, strikeforce, WEC & TUF shows (past and present), + also instructonals, then PM me.

it can be summed up in one word why Fedor is in SF and thats 'co-promotion', simple as that. If it was Fedors personal choice i have no doubt that he would of chose to fight in the UFC, but he is contracted to M1 and they basically pick all his decisions.

I definitely think that you've made some good points about Fedor's personality, but even if he would have signed with the UFC, I don't think he'd have turned into the likes of Shonie Carter or Tito. In Japan, he was ridiculously popular and it still didn't get to his head. In Russia, he's treated like a national hero. I think he has a very sane and disciplined way of life and he doesn't let anything derail it. It's part of his success recipe.

He has also stated that he doesn't care what organization he signs with, as long as he can keep fighting. Sadly, I don't think he had that big of a say as to which one he should choose, since his management handles it.

Reading your thread, I got an idea. As you may or may not know, brash and in-your-face people are not very well thought of in Russia and lack of respect is not tolerated. Do you think that Dana White's attitude in the negotiations had anything to do with Fedor signing with SF instead of UFC?

It's all about his contract with M-1Global. They want a crazy deal like the one they signed with Strikeforce (where they get to co-promote every event with Fedor in it and take a large chunk of the profits) and that simply won't happen with Zuffa.

If Fedor was on his own and M1 never existed, I'm sure a fight with Brock would be happening or might already have happened.

What I like most about Fedor (besides his ability to know ths snot outta someone) is that he is a humble guy. I think he just wants to fight and make a living and stay with his family and friends and go to church. I find all this admirable. I try to do all this too(except fight for a living) and respect people who do.

Fedor has been criticized for many things: not always fighting the "top guy" (he IS the top guy); for being able to make more money elsewhere, for not promoting himself, etc. There are all the reason WHY I like and admire him. In a sports world where everyone is promoting himself, even the ones with minimal talent, it is very refreshing to see someone put God, family and Country ahead of Dana White. Greedy people will never understand the non-greedy; the proud will never understand the humble; the impious will never understand the holy and the loud will never get the soft-spoken.

And White just doesn't get it. He ridicules Fedor and others who do not accept his "amazing" offers. But he doesn't understand that other people have other priorities and for some, money is not the most important thing in the world. While I admire Dana for always doing his best to put good fights together, I don't like that he knocks others for not seeing it the same way he does. Fedor is one who does not see life as Dana White does.

As with 90% of posts on MMAF, this is my opinion only. I have reviewed the evidence and contemplated what it means, and i think i have the answer to the question of why fedor picked Strikeforce, a smaller, much less well known organization(at the time) with (arguably) a worse roster of heavyweight fighters, over the almighty UFC; the king organization of MMA already and still with the intention to spread out globally and grow tenfold. I know this has been hashed over before, but i just wanted to see if i could start a thread that had some serious intelligent discussions, and maybe see if we could find some mutual agreements on the topic.

*note mods, i contemplated putting this in the SF forum, however upon review, the topic of why fedor didn't join the UFC is much more relevant to the UFC forum than it is to the SF forum. Not to mention that fedor is a constant topic of discussion for UFC fans, fighters and affiliates anyway.

So - in my opinion, fedor didn't go to the ufc because honestly, the guy sems to be a pretty simple, humble guy. he lives in his same old home town, and has his same old friends. he goes to church, he doesn't talk smack and he doesn't promote himself. (although m-1 does, that's a different kettle of fish so i wont go there.)

joining strikeforce was frankly the simpler option. strikeforce will let fedor be fedor - they will let him continue to be simple, and not tie him up with contracts, paperwork and restrictions (i mean sponsor restrictions, media statement restrictions etc, i am aware that his sambo wasn't an issue this time with the ufc)

They will let him be humble; he wont be pressured to start talking about his skills before fights or going out and doing tonnes of media stuff (he bans all media from him before fights and i imagine his demeanor would naturally be averted to massive publicity) or talking things up to hype fights. (and i doubt he'll be pressured to learn english either)

Basically, he is more free in strikeforce. And in my opinion, UFC versus SF can be (extremely) simplified into Fame versus Freedom.

In addition, fedor has stated on camera before that MMA is just his job; he treats it like a job and does his best, but it is just a job. This is relevant because it seems to me like if you were passionate about MMA, a total student of the sport, and were one of those who lived, breathed and talked MMA, then you would join the UFC. They are the undisputed kings of MMA, and you have opportunities to establish yourself in the sports history, as well as to aquire new fans, friends and fame.

If, however, you had fedor's view, then the relative freedom that strikeforce offers would be much, much more attractive. If MMA is just a means of income, and your desire to train, fight and win comes from a desire to do your job well and earn your family enough money to always be comfortable, then the glory, glitz and glamour of the UFC wouldn't hold the same appeal as it would for those aforementioned people who's world revolves around the sport. I think this is also why some people can't understand why fedor didn't join the UFC and establish his position and legacy in the MMA world.

Some people say that fedor doesn't need to prove himself; his legacy from pride and, to a lesser extent, his more recent fights, is already established. Some people say that he is ducking the top tier fighters in order to maintain his record. i think that neither of these points are relevant.

Fedor has said before that whether he wins or loses is gods decision, not his. (i personally am an athiest but can still recognize and respect his religious logic.) When have you heard fedor talk about his record? or about any of his past wins? when have you ever even heard him try and justify his skills? I haven't heard him ever mention any of these. (although i may have missed an instance, if so please correct me)

The point i am trying to make here is that in my opinion, fedor's priorities in life are the reason that he picked SF over the UFC; not the quality of the competition in either organization.

That being said, i may be wrong. Fedor could in fact speak perfect english, and every time he goes home to russia and the camera is off he may be rowdy, obnoxious, and talk more shit than tito. It may all be a brilliant act.

But i dont think so; i think that this post is probably quite close to the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, as i neglected to mention fedor's management, but the truth nonetheless.

That being said, it's just my opinion. But it's a well thought out opinion, and what i'd like to call an educated one, so i'd like to see if anybody agrees, or can see my point. In the same way, i'd like to hear a good rebuttal. I have my own opinion on what the perfect response to this post is, but i won't post it just yet. Hopefully i can get some good discussion going first, and maybe someone else will be able to say it before i do.

I guess Fedor felt like sitting in that huge red royal chair (did he have a crown on?) before his fight with another overrated fighter. Id rather have a chance to say what you want to say before a fight in the UFC than be propped in some stupid oversized chair. It was sooo cheasy.

Alizio, that is pretty offensive! Just because someone recognizes the need to be humble and put God above himself (or maybe that is just his personality), does not make him a "nut" as I see it. Humility is not across the board in every nationality, maybe Ovechkin is more popular, but that might be in spite of his lack of humility. I see it as a quailty trait and realize that others might not. Nonetheless, bigotted name-calling is not necessary.

you sound like a touchy guy markv.... learn your own religions history and you may see calling you a "nut" is generous compared to the things it has done.

My real point was it's hard to make deals with very religous ppl because their values are often much different then the normal businessmans. An example for those who watch the Soprano's when Tony tries to strongarm the Orthodox Jews regarding their hotel.... how do you make a deal with a man that fears nothing, wants nothing and is totally happy with his life?? I see that as the main problem with Fedor, Dana thinks $ and fame will do it, like it does it for EVERY OTHER fighter... but it wont. He lives on a different value system and seems totally content. I dont even think he cares if ppl view him as the best so you cant even try to stir up his competitiveness that way... im just not sure, as with alot of highly religous ppl who are true to their faith (i'd say 98% of them arent, but you do find that rare person and i think Fedor might be one of them) they wont compromise their beliefs, values or principles (misguided or not) for anything.